


Don’t look now or you’ll fall in love

by shirbert1989



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Anne is the cutest, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Gilbert Blythe is Whipped, Gilbert agrees, Happy Ending, How Do I Tag, Implied Sexual Content, Jealous Gilbert Blythe, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-19
Updated: 2020-11-17
Packaged: 2021-03-08 21:07:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 15,941
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27103201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shirbert1989/pseuds/shirbert1989
Summary: Anne and Gilbert are dorm neighbors who don’t realize the love of their lives is three steps away.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 27
Kudos: 180





	1. Chapter 1

Gilbert could have blamed what had just happened on how overdramatic the beautiful girl in front of him was. It would have excused his behavior and cleared his name. But everyone around them, including him, knew it was his own fault he was clutching his cheek that had just met the brute force of a five foot three woman with radiant red hair.

He knew the reason he was standing, embarrassed, in the middle of all the other college students in the lobby was because he was hypnotized by the bouncing red braids in front of him. His fingers denied his common sense telling him “ _ Do. Not. Do. It. _ ” and did it, pulling her braids and muttering the first similar hued item he could think of.

Then Gilbert didn’t have time to process just how stunning this woman was when she turned around, only to slap him across the face and cover her mouth in horror when she realized what she’d just done.

So yes, Gilbert could’ve blamed this all on her- but as he memorized the freckles dotting her skin and the exact blue tint of her eyes, he knew she was too innocent and incapable of doing something unprovoked. So he decided to take full responsibility. Without really telling anyone that he did.

But to be fair, she  _ did  _ slap him across the face.

But Gilbert wouldn’t let this ruin his ego, and he chuckled lightly as he cupped his cheek. “I guess I deserved that.”

The woman stood frozen, and he felt his heart sink as her tears welled up and she shook her head in disbelief. Before he could reassure her it was okay, she dashed out of the residence hall lobby. When she was gone, muffled laughter could be heard by the other students around them. Gilbert had to fight to not smack his friends upside the head as they tried, and failed, to stifle their giggles.

“How do you get slapped in the face by a  _ girl _ ?” Charlie’s subtle misogyny popped out.

Gilbert just rolled his eyes, “To be fair, I think I deserved it.”

Jerry didn’t bother hiding back a laugh. “Pulling a girl’s braid like we’re 12 years old and calling her a  _ vegetable _ ? Yeah, I think you did.”

“She could’ve just told him to stop instead of physically harming him,” Charlie shrugged. 

It was Moody’s turn to chime in after previously resorting to staring in horror. “That looked like it hurt,” he swallowed.

Gilbert shrugged it off, “Nothing my body can’t get over.”

“And your ego?” Jerry asked and the others chuckled.

Gilbert resorted to rolling his eyes again, knowing he would never live this down for as long as he lived. 

“Anyways, I think that was the hottest thing I’ve ever seen a girl do,” Charlie piped up.

Jerry scoffed, “Why don’t you ask her out? See if you get a kick in the groin instead.”

Charlie stuck his bottom lip out, like he was pondering it, before shrugging. “Maybe. Do you think the carpet matches the drapes?”

Jerry and Moody groaned at their friend’s futile attempt at a joke while Gilbert’s jaw clenched at the implication. He had no idea why he felt a sudden whelm of protectiveness over a woman he had a glimpse of for two seconds. Maybe it was his desire to protect her from Charlie and his problematic characteristics that he had been stuck with since they were in elementary school. Maybe it was his desire to have her for himself and would fight anyone who came in his way for just one kiss on her visibly soft, pink lips.

It isn’t until he feels a smack upright his head does Gilbert groan and turn back around, eyebrows furrowing in confusion when he sees a short, black-haired woman with a fuming look on her face.  _ Attacked twice in the span of five minutes? What on God’s earth could I have done in my previous life to warrant this for me? _

“Who told you it was ever okay to make fun of a girl’s appearance, as harmless as you  _ think _ it may be?”

Gilbert stood shell-shocked, “I’m very sorry-“

“Why are you apologizing to me?” She crossed her arms, her short stature compared to his somehow making her even  _ more _ threatening. “You should be apologizing to my friend- and no, her name is not ‘Carrots’.”

He swallowed dryly, “I never meant any harm. I just...didn’t understand what I was doing.”

The raven-haired woman stared up at him curiously before smirking, “What? You thought she was pretty and wanted her attention?”

Gilbert wasn’t one to blush, but what else could explain the pink tint flush on his cheeks?

“Well I-I never, um, well when you put it like that...” He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck before dropping it, glancing furtively at his shoes.

The corner of the girl’s lips turned up into a mischievous smirk as she eyed the boy with a single raised eyebrow. Then her gaze fell on someone behind her and Gilbert visibly noticed her shoulders tense. He glanced back, frowning in confusion as he realized Jerry and the girl were having an intense stare-off. Before he could say anything, her eyes snapped back to his and she put a finger to his chest.

“If you want her attention, there are better ways of doing so that don’t include teasing her,” she said sharply.

Gilbert visibly winced. “Can you tell her I’m sorry? If I could, I’d go back in time and take it all back.”

The woman bit her bottom lip like she was holding back a string of curses, “If you want to apologize so bad, do it yourself.”

“I don’t even know if I’ll ever see her again,” he defended weakly.

She rolled her eyes, “Well I’m not giving out her private information to a man who just tried to harass her.”

“I wasn’t-“ he cleared his throat and lowered his voice at the sudden exclaim. “I wasn’t trying to hurt her.”

The woman didn’t dignify him with a response, and by the intensity of her stare, Gilbert knew better than to mess with her and he kept his mouth shut. With a wary glance over his shoulder, she turned on her heels and walked away. The four guys were left gawking at what had just concurred until Charlie cleared his throat.

“I’m sorry, but am I the only one who’s ridiculously turned on right now?”

“Damnit, Charlie.”

~•~•~

Gilbert didn’t really know why he stayed in the lobby all day. But that was a lie that he told his friends and acquaintances who saw him sitting in the chair, nervously tapping his leg. He knew why- he was waiting for that girl to come back. 

She had to have been a new student in the co-ed dorms like he was, how else would she have gotten in? So she would’ve had to come back sometime.

It’s been five hours since that thought process ran through his mind, and Gilbert cannot believe he’s so desperate to see her again and clear his conscience that he’d waste his entire Sunday for this. But when he caught a glimpse of red from the corner of his eye just as he nearly dozed off to sleep, the image of her was worth all the time wasted.

She hadn’t noticed him yet, but there was no way he couldn’t have noticed her. The vibrant red of her hair called for every person’s attention like a siren call, and her overall beauty lured them in to stay in for just a bit longer until they were trapped.

When she finally looked at him, Gilbert hated how he couldn’t help but notice how  _ pretty  _ she was even with the frown on her face. Even as she stuck her cute, button nose up and walked away from him, making him follow her like a lost puppy, she was just so pretty.

“Hey, hey!” Gilbert called out. He gently tugged on her wrist until she winced and quickly pulled it away from him.

She turned around, glaring up at him. “ _ Don’t  _ touch me,” she warned.

Gilbert held his hands up. “I’m sorry, I probably should’ve expected that after what happened earlier,” he tried to joke.

Standing only a couple inches away from her and a large foot above her, he could finally take her in. He hovered over her because she was so small, barely coming up to his shoulder. Her hair wasn’t in braids anymore, but in enchanting red curls he had to fight himself from running his hands through. He nearly cheered in delight when he realized the blue of her eyes that he memorized from earlier was correct. Her _lips_ looked so soft and begging for him to bend down and crush his own to it. If his gaze flickered even a little bit down from her face, he would see her mildly exposed cleavage from her sundress and but last thing he needed was this girl to have another reason to be upset with him.

She must’ve noticed his staring as she wavered under his gaze and he snapped himself out of it.

“Um, uh- I’ll be honest. I have no idea what I was talking about,” he admitted sheepishly. That only earned him a glare and he quickly fixed himself. “But, I just wanted to apologize for what happened. I shouldn’t have pulled on your hair or called you-“

“Don’t repeat it.”

“Noted. I just really needed to say I’m sorry,” he finished.

She eyed him, her cold demeanor slowly fading away before she slowly nodded her head. “Well, at least you apologized. Most people would’ve pretended it never happened.”

Gilbert also noticed how she talked. How smoothly the words fell out from her mouth and how quickly she spoke. Her voice was like rich, creamy vanilla: sweet and utterly addicting.

Gilbert gave a small smile, “So, am I forgiven?”

She shrugged, “Maybe, if you tell me why you felt the need to pull on my hair anyways.”

His face flushed in embarrassment and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion.  _ Every little thing she does is so damn cute _ .

“Promise you won’t judge me?”

She scoffed, “I don’t even know your name, how can I judge you?”

He smiled, “It’s Gilbert.”

The redhead let out an incoherent noise before slapping her hand over her mouth in disbelief. “I’m sorry. Oh God, I’m so sorry.”

Gilbert shrugged, “You can laugh all you want, it doesn’t really matter. I accepted how weird my name was at a young age. But then I met my friend Moody and I’ve felt better about myself ever since.”

She giggled at that. An actual  _ giggle  _ that powered his insides until he felt like a pile of mush that just wanted to squeeze all the giggles from this girl. Gilbert wondered how early was too early to admit he found a girl he could see himself falling in love with.

“So, how about you? What’s your name?”

“I’m not saying anything until you answer my question.”

Maybe he was hoping she wouldn’t notice he was trying to divert from the question.

He awkwardly scratched the back of his neck before muttering, “I thought you looked pretty.”

She frowned, “You nearly tugged my hair out of my head because you thought I was  _ pretty _ ?”

“I don’t know how to answer that.”

She eyed him before shaking her head and whispering under her breath, “Men are so weird.”

“So, can I get your name?”

She sighed, “It’s Anne Shirley-Cuthbert. With an ‘e’ on the end.”

_ Pretty girl, pretty name. _

Gilbert grinned, “Nice to meet you, Anne. I wish we had met in better circumstances.”

“I do too,” she smiled back, dimples forming on her cheeks and Gilbert felt the wind kicked out from him. Every minute he spent with her, another thing he found himself loving about her.

He exhaled soundly, “So, it’s your turn now.”

Anne blinked, “For what?”

“To apologize…”

She frowned, “Why would I need to apologize?”

“Because you slapped me in the face?”

“And rightfully so! Why on earth would I apologize for that?” She asked, her body tense and her nostrils flared.

Gilbert scoffed, “I don’t know. When people slap another person they usually apologize.”

“Do you think you deserve an apology?”

“No! I mean- maybe? I just kinda assumed we were on the same dynamic now-“

Anne scoffed before turning around and walking towards the stairwell, leaving him to run after her  _ again _ .

“Hey- Anne!” He called out, going up two steps at a time just to reach her. “Maybe I’m not remembering this correctly but you did slap me  _ hard  _ across the face-“

“And I’d do it again.”

“-and I just think that deserves a small apology. Or maybe for laughing at my name? You know some people would be really insecure about that?” She didn’t reply. “It can even be a meaningless one, I won’t mind.”

She glared at him before entering the floor that he was yet to be familiar with but could recognize it anywhere. He nearly burst out laughing at the thought of telling her that he was only getting closer to where he would be instead of actively avoiding him.

“Come on, you bruised my ego. It’s the least you could do,” he teased.

She turned on her heel, her hair and dress twirling with her in time and her angry eyes bugging out of her sockets. “ _ No _ , I don’t.  _ You  _ tugged on my hair and I hit you out of pure self-defense.”

Gilbert wondered if it was too late to admit he really didn’t care for an apology before she continued:

“It’s not like I came up to you and randomly slapped you!  _ You’re  _ the one that pulled on a stranger’s hair and called her a ‘Carrot’. How am I even a carrot? My hair is red and I don’t know if you don’t remember your colors, but red is very different from orange. Not to mention it’s anatomically incorrect! Carrots are green at the top with their leaves, so the only way that analogy would’ve worked is if you knew me in eighth grade and  _ no _ , I will not explain that to you. So no, Gilbert, you will never get an apology from me. Goodbye, and stop following me.”

He was in such a daze from realizing how ridiculously adorable she was when she was angry to realize she stomped over to a familiar door. She put her hand on the handle before glancing back at him, rolling her eyes.

“Did you not hear me? I told you to stop following me.”

He quirked an eyebrow at her, slowly walking towards her as her facial expressions grew confused. When he was right next to her, he brushed past to put his hand on his own doorknob, checking the number to make sure he hadn’t made a fool of himself before smirking. Anne’s face fell as she glanced between them and let out a small gasp.

Gilbert grinned, “Hello, neighbor.”

Anne quickly opened the door and slammed it shut behind her in a fury.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW // attempted sexual assault

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know if anyone will read this but I wanted to clarify and apologize. It was all a very huge, dumb misunderstanding in my part. I put down a fellow shirbert fic’s user and link to their work without their permission as they loosely inspired me. And by that, I want to explain that I wasn’t trying to copy their work or make this fic based on theirs, I have had this idea for a long time and reading her wonderful story kinda motivated me to finish this chapter at 3 am with a deadbeat and tired brain and since I posted it so close together, I didn’t want it to seem like I was copying her and put her name down. (I realize now that it only made it seem more like that I have done so). However, I realize now that I should’ve asked her for permission but we have talked about it. She is the sweetest and was totally understanding and I apologized for crediting her without asking first! I realize how I would not want anyone to feel like someone else copied the work they had worked so hard on and I wanted to clarify that is not the case at all! Though I may be a very, very, very slow writer, I have my stories planned out before I write them and I have had this story planned out for weeks before I actually got to finishing this chapter. I think when I meant “loosely inspired”, I meant more of “inspired me to get off my ass and finish writing”. I also wanted to clarify I wasn’t going to copy her story at all. Hers was very unique and enjoyable and the only similarity was that Anne and Gilbert were going to be dorm neighbors. Like I said before, I wasn’t thinking thoroughly and put her name down because when I finished the chapter, it was not long after she published her own story that I got afraid I would be accused of this exact thing- plagiarism.  
> Again, thank you to people who brought this to my attention. I would also like to apologize once more and say I never, never would deliberately copy another person’s work.  
> But besides this, I hope people still stand by this work and read it because I am actually very excited about it! This was just a big fuck-up on my part and I’m very sorry.

“I’m not really looking for a relationship, if I’m being honest. I just want something casual, something to distract me from all the chaos going on in my life, you know? I think you’d do. You’re pretty hot, and you’re not looking for anything serious too, right?”

Anne gave a tight-lipped smile, her knuckles gripping the cutlery turning white as she forced a smile. “Maybe.”

And Anne suddenly remembered why she refused to let Jane set her up on dates- they always went like this. 

If she was being honest, she was a hopeless romantic, believing she’d find the love of her life in the most unexpected place. She even convinced herself to believe maybe it would be on one of these dates. But week after week she’d meet these sleazes who were looking for nothing more than boobs and a butt, and her hope at finding someone would slowly dissipate.

Her date, some blonde haired man named Billy who was Jane’s brother, was eyeing her like a piece of meat, making her squirm in her seat. She glanced around the restaurant, sighing to herself but looking back at him with a polite smile. When she glanced down at his plate, she was hoping he’d still pitch in for the check even though he only ate one olive. She suddenly felt self-conscious over her half-eaten plate and slowly pushed it aside, sipping on her water.

Billy put his glass down and leaned forward on the table. “So, do you want to get out of here?”

Anne scrunched her nose, “We’ve barely been here an hour.”

“Come on, did you really think we were going to stay for long?”

 _No,_ she thought. _But that doesn’t mean I wasn’t hoping_.

Billy took her face in and scoffed, falling back in his chair and sighing, “Well, the least I can do is pay for the bill.”

Anne’s thin eyebrow quirked up, “I thought we were splitting it.”

He waved her off, pulling his wallet out to slap three 20-dollar bills on the table, making her eyebrows reach her hairline when she did the mental math and noted how their meals would’ve hardly cost 15 dollars together.

Then Billy stood up, shrugging his coat on and Anne felt obliged to do the same. She tugged her dress down- she reminded herself to curse Diana for buying her such short dresses- and put her own coat on. 

“I’ll walk you home,” Billy said as they exited the restaurant.

Anne quickly shook her head, “Oh you don’t have to.”

Billy only smirked, nodding his head towards a vehicle that was most likely his car. Anne didn’t see any point in arguing with him and bit back a sigh, smiling politely as she followed him and took a seat inside.

 _If he expects anything, he’s certainly wrong_ , Anne thought. But she sighed. Maybe he was just being polite? She had to tell herself to stop judging men from only a few interactions. _Except for Gilbert, that son of a bitch_.

It had been two weeks since she realized they were neighbors, and she spent the entire time avoiding him. And by that, she meant burrowing herself in her room and running out whenever she heard his door close and footsteps echo on the other side of the wall. That’s exactly what she did not an hour ago, scurrying out the second he heard his door shut to go on this date.

The embarrassment she felt after taking her friends’ advice, sticking it to him, and walking away without ever seeing him again only to learn he would be right next-door to her was utterly humiliating. She found no need to snap at him at first, proclaiming that she wouldn’t yell at the man if he was decent and nice. But then he asked for an apology over something _he_ caused. So really, she should be blaming her friends and that annoyingly gorgeous man for her embarrassment. 

She doesn’t think she’ll ever be able to face him again as long as this mortifying experience laid in her mind. It was like when she was 13 years old and she tried dying her hair black only to realize too soon she accidentally bought green hair dye. In a frantic worry, she chopped her hair off. She would have to go through the rest of the year with a pixie hair-cut, suffering from whispers and giggles the entire time.

But that was nearly seven years ago, and she learned to laugh about it. But she had just humiliated herself in front of a cute guy only last week, and couldn’t see herself forgetting this for months. Regardless, all Anne knew was that she would never, _ever_ be able to talk to Gilbert again.

She somehow convinced herself that agreeing to go on a date with Jane’s brother would distract her from this. Maybe they would’ve hit it off, and the mortifying experience she had with a random guy wouldn’t matter anymore. But she found that even as he drove and walked her back to her dorm, Gilbert’s stupid face still clogged her mind and reminded her of her latest endeavor to prove herself independent and hard to mess with only to be the one to come up on the shit-end of the stick.

Her mind was finally cleared of him when she realized they were standing in front of her building. Billy looked at her expectantly, and she smiled apologetically before taking her key card out and swiping it to enter the building. She was about to hold the door open and turn around to feign sadness as they parted, but he held the door open and stepped inside behind her. 

“Oh, uh-“

“I don’t mind walking you to your room,” he shrugged.

Anne wanted to retort that she did mind, but decided against it. So, she turned around and began walking back to her room. People scattered around the building glanced between the two as they walked past, and she wanted to die at the possibility of them having an idea of what would occur. But she was _not_ going to sleep with this man, and only hoped he knew that too.

As they silently approached her dorm room, she turned around to face him. “So…”

He looked down at her, a smirk on his lips. “So, are you going to invite me in?”

Anne blinked before frowning, “Oh. I-I didn’t think-“

“Why else would I walk with you here?”

“I don’t usually put out on the first date,” Anne admitted awkwardly.

Billy eyed her up and down, making her skin shiver at the coldness of his eyes. “Really? When you wear something like _that_?”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with what I’m wearing,” she argued weakly, looking down at her outfit. Yeah it was a little short for her liking, but she looked cute.

“Oh trust me, there isn’t.” His voice dropped an octave and he stepped forward as she stepped back and ran his finger over her cheek. “There’s _nothing_ wrong about what you look like,” he growled.

“Look, I had a nice time tonight but I’m really tired,” Anne swallowed dryly.

Billy didn’t say anything, only bending down so his mouth was inches away from hers. His hand fell down to her waist and gripped her firmly, making her whimper at the strength. She tried pushing him off, but he didn’t relent and strengthened his hold on her.

This was a major flag. A major, _major_ red flag. Anne looked around desperately, cursing that the one time her hallway wants to be quiet was when she needed someone the most. She didn’t want to think the worst that could happen, but she knew if something didn’t happen soon, nothing good would come out of tonight.

“Billy please let me go,” she attempted weakly.

His breath hovered over hers and she moved her face sideways so her cheek hit her door. Anne tried moving his arms off her or even kicking him away, but he crowded her like a pack of sardines and she couldn’t move him off. She choked back a sob as his wet mouth collided with her neck, and she moved against him to try and tug him off.

“Billy please-“

“Hey, Billy!” A deep, familiar voice sounded out and Billy’s head immediately snapped up, releasing Anne and letting her stumble back against the door as she caught her breath.

She inhaled and exhaled deeply, wrapping her arms around herself to steady her mind and body. The voices of the two men made her feel dizzy until her brain started running a mile a second. She closed her eyes, took in deep breaths, and tried to relax her muscles.

 _It’s okay, it’s okay._ It’s okay.

She didn’t know how long she spent collecting her breath and hugging herself tight until she opened her eyes. She cleared her throat to get rid of her dry mouth before she looked up. Billy wasn’t there anymore, she hadn’t even noticed him leave, but when she looked to her left, her face fell when she saw Gilbert standing there with his jaw clenched.

Anne quickly pulled off from the door and turned around, fixing and wiping herself with the back of her hand while sniffing her nose.

“Anne,” she heard Gilbert whisper.

She pointedly ignored him. A string of curses left her as her blurry, teary vision kept her from locating where the doorknob was.

“Anne.” His voice sounded closer and she was distinctly aware of how he was probably only a few feet from her. “Are you okay?”

Anne didn’t dignify him with a response as she slapped her hand around for the doorknob. _Shit shit shit_ . She couldn’t be embarrassing herself in front of him _again_. If she could just find the damn doorknob-

“Anne, look at me.” 

A gentle tug on her forearm to turn around did the job, making her look up at him and take in his truly concerned face. His eyes searched her face and he frowned when she sniffled her nose again. Tugging her arm out of his, she carefully dabbed her watery eyes so as to not mess up her makeup and risk looking like a sad clown in front of him.

“What do you want?” She muttered, glancing at his chest in her direct line of vision.

She saw his chest move slightly as he swallowed. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“I’m fine. Can you leave me alone now?” Anne said weakly, keeping her gaze on his hoodie logo.

Gilbert didn’t reply, and Anne took that as an excuse to slip through her door and shut it in his face behind her. She immediately tore her dress off to put on an oversized shirt and shorts, not wanting any reminders for the rest of the night of what could have almost happened. She scavenged around for her toiletries to take to the communal girls bathroom and quickly wiped her makeup off and washed her face, not bothering to do anything else so she could quickly leave.

As she lay in bed, she checked her clock to see it was nearing midnight and she still couldn’t sleep. She hugged her teddy bear closer to her as she moved to a fetal position and tugged the blanket up to her chin. Thinking about how she’d have to lie to Jane tomorrow about how well the date went made her squeeze her eyes to keep the tears at bay. 

And then she was suddenly transported to those memories she tried desperately to forget from the orphanage, the memories that would ruin her day when she’d even get a small reminder, the memories that haunted her. She tried to suppress them, but as a tear slipped she knew she couldn’t hold back a choking sob into her teddy bear. She pulled it closer to her body and dug her face into it to stifle her cries. 

She didn’t know how long she did it, but all she knew was that she heard noises on the other side of the wall and knew he heard her.

~•~•~

Anne woke up to the sound of her alarm blaring. Her head shot up and she groaned, the light pouring in from the window as she forgot to close the curtains. She stumbled out of bed to shut them, flopping back down with her arms still wrapped around her bear as sleep threatened to wash over her again. 

She shot up when she heard a strong yet quick knock on her door. Her eyes widened, _Was that Billy again?_ Quietly, she tiptoed over the door and looked into the peephole. She let out a quiet groan before quickly covering her mouth with her hands. It was obvious by the way Gilbert let out a small chuckle that he had heard her.

This was bad, Anne thought. She had now embarrassed herself twice in front of him and could only imagine the teasing he would do to her. Her face fell when she remembered how annoyingly thin the walls are, meaning he more than likely heard her cries at night.

 _Shit, shit, shit_.

“Anne?” Gilbert knocked once again. “If you want I can come back later with these.”

Come back? Come back with what? 

When she stepped on her toes to look through the peephole again, she saw he had a bag and a coffee tray with two cups in it. The bag more than likely had food and her stomach growled immediately at the thought.

Being a broke college student, Anne took advantage of any free stuff she could find. Free samples at the store, free school supplies handed out by the college, “free” snacks from the grocery store that she’d ultimately go back and pay for out of guilt, even free meals. It was why she even agreed to go out on so many dates from her friends, because she knew men would be so embarrassed of seeming rude they’d pay for half or all. 

It was even why she was staying in this co-ed dorm room while the rest of her friends stayed in Patty’s Place, a small house they were renting from a woman named Ms. Blackmore. Anne wanted more than anything to spend her junior year of college living with her friends, but her share of the rent was more than she could pay for, and she didn’t want to burden Marilla and Matthew with the extra cost. So Anne decided to opt out- even after Diana begged her to stay, saying her parents could pay for it, which only made her feel more guilty. But she was sick of her stuffy old dorm and her rude roommate, and decided to switch things up a bit and stay in the co-ed dorms. Her friends took in a fellow student, Josie Pye, to split the costs and everything worked fine. 

Everything except for a certain neighbor she couldn’t bear to face.

But she’d had to thank him someday, because her extra time in her room to avoid him allowed her to finish decorating. To say Anne was grateful for this was an understatement because she knew if that fiasco never happened, she would continue to find excuses to put it off. So she made a little mental reminder that when she’d gain her self-confidence again, she would thank him. But that wouldn’t be so soon as a few minutes as he stood on the other side of the door.

But the idea of free food taunted her grumbling belly. So with a sigh, she slowly unlocked the door, opening it just enough for her to peek up at him. He smiled sadly when he saw her before his eyes drifted down and he chuckled. Anne looked down, her cheeks turning red when she realized she was still holding her teddy bear.

Quickly tossing it behind her, she looked up at him. “Yes?” She cleared her throat when she realized how hoarse her voice was from crying into her bed the entire night.

That seemed to shock Gilbert back as his eyes fell sadly when he looked at her. He awkwardly glanced down at the items in his hand before holding them out for her.

“I got you these,” he explained quietly.

Anne stood frozen. She looked back up at him, assuming this was all a joke. But the sincerity in his face made her chest drop.

“I don’t really know what you like, seeing that we’ve only talked like what? Three times? But I got a blueberry muffin, because everybody loves muffins, you’d have to be sadistic not to, a breakfast sandwich, and some pancakes. If you’re more of a waffle person, I apologize in advance.” He gave a dorky smile that nearly threatened Anne to reciprocate it.

She opened the door an inch wider before nodding towards the coffee. “And that?”

Gilbert shrugged, “I got you one coffee and one breakfast smoothie because, again, I don’t know which you’d prefer. This one here is an almond milk latte and this one is a strawberry banana smoothie.”

“And what about for you?”

“I will be starving myself this morning, like any other normal college student,” he chuckled.

A warmth washed over Anne as she took this in. He seemed genuine in his concern, and she wondered if she was right and had misjudged him. 

So Anne carefully took the bag of food and drinks from him, standing awkwardly in front of him as he stuffed his hands in his jean jacket hoodie.

She tugged her lips between her teeth before looking back up at him. “Thank you,” she said quietly.

Gilbert just gave a small shake of his head, “You don’t have to thank me for it. It’s the least I could’ve done.” He paused for a moment before scratching the back of his neck. “And...I wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Anne’s hand gripping the bag grew clammy. “Wh-I, um, I’m okay, really-“

“It’s just...I don’t know, I thought I heard you were upset.” He said awkwardly, scanning her face before dropping his eyes to the ground.

Anne clenched her jaw. Suddenly the stuff in her hands felt too heavy. “So, what? This is a pity breakfast?”

He blinked, furiously shaking his head, “Of course not.”

“Then what is it?”

“I-I don’t know. I just wanted to help you,” he said weakly.

Anne swallowed dryly as her eyes bugged out in anger. She didn’t _need_ him to check up on her. Just because he had witnessed only one of the few traumatic experiences in her life didn’t mean she wanted or needed his pity. 

She shoved the food back at him, staring at him sternly. “Just forget everything that happened, okay? It’s not that big of a deal and I don’t need your pity. So next time, just mind your own business.”

Gilbert scoffed, “Mind my own business? I know Billy, and I don’t even want to imagine what would’ve happened if I had came just a minute later or not at all.”

“Well then don’t.”

“That’s a little hard for me to do,” his jaw clenched.

“I suggest you figure out a way.”

“I’m sorry if you feel embarrassed about that, but you shouldn’t be. It wasn’t your fault. If anything, I’ll be surprised if Billy ever dares to show his face around me again.” Gilbert let out a long breath after, glancing down at her.

Anne stared stubbornly up at him, “We’re not friends, my business is not yours.”

“Well it is when I see you’re in trouble,” he argued back.

“Just leave me alone, okay? Believe it or not, but I can handle myself.”

He chuckled humorlessly, rubbing the part of his face that met Anne’s wrath a few weeks back. “I have no doubt about that.”

She kept her angry stature, the anger in her eyes evident in her blue orbs. But his gaze softened the more he looked at her. Eventually, he sighed in defeat and held the food out for her again.

“You can take this as whatever you want, but you should still take it,” he said.

Anne glanced down then back up at him, slowly taking the food back. “Thank you. I’ll pay you back,” she muttered and made an effort to close the door. Gilbert put his hand on the door to keep it opened, making Anne roll her eyes. “What?”

“You don’t have to pay me back,” he said quickly.

Anne scoffed and shook her head, “So this _is_ pity food?”

“Regardless, it’s still food.”

“I’m paying you back,” Anne said definitively.

“No, you aren't. This was a treat on me.”

“Don’t argue with me, you won’t win.”

A ghost of a smile danced on his lips, “But it’s still fun to do.”

With a clenched jaw at the fact that he enjoyed seeing her suffer, she shut the door behind her without another word. 

Anne shut her eyes, mentally groaning when she glanced at the wall length mirror and saw she looked like a wreck.

“You can do better than this, Anne,” she critiqued herself and shook her head.

She didn’t bother wondering how Gilbert managed to get the exact breakfast treats she’d been craving for a long time. She ate diligently, forcing herself not to take this as pity food as she heard Gilbert enter his room not long after, finding herself delighting in the fact that she could faintly hear him through the other side of the wall and making her feel like she wasn’t alone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t think you all need to hear more from me lol


	3. Chapter 3

Gilbert hadn’t seen Anne since he dropped off breakfast for her, but at least she wasn’t running out at the sound of his door closing, so he knew she wasn’t avoiding him.

A small step, but a big one.

If he was being honest, he didn’t know why he was so intent on trying to get closer to her. It would sound conceited if he said he thought she was attractive. But he wanted to know her more. Those thin walls allowed Gilbert to hear muffled voices from her FaceTime calls with her friends- he wasn’t a creep, the walls were just  _ really  _ thin- and he knew she had a spark of light inside of her he desperately wanted to see for himself. All two of their interactions hadn’t gone the way he imagined them to be and since he knew she was too bubbly for it to be her fault, it must’ve been his.

When he was supposed to be going over his Biology textbook, he instead laid back in his chair with his hands on the back of his head as he replayed everything that he could’ve done wrong:

Their first meet was  _ definitely  _ on him. Pulling a woman’s hair, calling her a carrot, and then going too far in his joke to have her apologize was 100% on him. Not to mention how he stared at her like she was the prettiest person he's ever seen.

Which she was, but that's besides the point.

Their second interaction was a week ago, and the memory made his jaw clench. Thinking about Billy looming over her body and hearing her small pleads was enough to make him want to get up, find that man, and punch him square in the throat. How no one else on the floor didn’t hear her let alone do anything about it ticked him off. But he didn’t want to think about it. He especially didn’t want to think about how soft her muffled cries were that night.

Gilbert remembered his heart tearing when the first sob broke out. For some reason he wanted to get up and go over there to comfort her, but a stranger comforting her was probably the last thing she wanted. So he tried a different way: food.

He set his alarm an hour earlier than usual to drive off-campus to his favorite cafe. He was just going to maybe buy her a muffin, but then he remembered her loud groan as she complained to her friends how much she missed eating pancakes. And then a different time when she said she could really use a breakfast sandwich. And how her favorite smoothie was strawberry banana. The coffee was just a long-shot but when he heard her take a loud sip and let out a satisfied sigh, he snickered to himself.

Again, it wasn’t his fault the walls were thin. Plus, she talked really loud.

She took it as pity food, and the more he thought about it the more he realized she was probably right. He just wanted to give her some comfort food after the shitty night she had, and he guessed she may have read between the lines and came to a relatively fair conclusion. 

Then his mind drifted to how damn  _ cute  _ she looked when she opened the door. He knows he shouldn't have thought that, but when she opened the door with a stuffed animal clutched against her chest and a too big shirt falling to her thigh, he wanted to beat Billy up for almost hurting someone so innocent. Then he remembered the way her creamy white legs were exposed and how he fought to not look down and examine every inch of them. How she almost never wore jeans or pants and her legs would be exposed, smooth skin taunting him to pick her up and wrap them around him as he inched his hand up higher and higher-

The loud ring of his phone nearly made him stumble backwards on the floor. He situated himself, answering his phone and clearing his throat.

“What happened Jerry?” Gilbert sighed. Everytime Jerry called, he knew it wasn’t good news.

“Guess what,” Jerry whispered on the other end of the phone. Before Gilbert could even guess, Jerry started again, “Diana invited us over to her place tonight.”

Gilbert blinked, “Who and what?”

“Diana,” Jerry repeated, like that would clarify everything. “You know? The girl I've been seeing”

“You have  _ never  _ mentioned you were seeing someone.”

Jerry sighed on the other end, “Well I've been seeing someone. Remember the girl that yelled at you a few weeks ago?”

Gilbert nearly choked on air. “No way. The girl you were ogling the entire time?”

“Yes! She recognized me a few days after and ever since we’ve been-“

Gilbert groaned, “Don't finish that.”

“Not like  _ that _ . But she’s having a small thing at her house and she says I can invite you guys. Plus, I need your help. I’m planning on asking her out and I need you and the guys there for moral support.”

Gilbert glanced down at his nearly clear desk, save the opened Biology textbook and empty notebook. “I’m busy, sorry.”

Jerry paused for a moment before sighing, “Anne’s going to be there.”

That caught Gilbert’s attention. “H-how do you know?”

His friend let out a sound between a scoff and a chuckle. “She may have mentioned her name in the list of people. She also said if I needed help convincing you to just mention that.”

Gilbert bit the inside of his cheek and mentally groaned. He was suddenly taken back to when that girl- apparently named Diana- accused him of trying to get Anne’s attention for being pretty. She was right, and it’s not like he didn’t already embarrass himself in front of her.

“But Gilbert, please? Moody already said yes but he’s just going to be awkward and I’m pretty sure Charlie’s only going to flirt with the girls. I need you. Please?”

Gilbert couldn’t recall a time where Jerry was head over heels for a girl. In fact, he couldn’t even remember the last time Jerry had even allowed himself to get to know a girl. Even though girls glanced his way, Jerry would never pay them any mind out of sheer cluelessness. So the fact that he was so desperate to get closer to this girl made him reluctantly sigh and mutter “Fine”, to which Jerry took with glee.

It had nothing to do with the fact that Anne was going to be there. He did it to be a good friend. Only that.

~•~•~

When Gilbert arrived later than expected, lively voices filled the house. It took him a minute to calm himself down, pacing the well-kept lawn of the Blackmore House. He told his friends he would be late but wondered if after the first 20 minutes they just expected he wouldn’t come.

He wanted to go in, but couldn’t imagine how terrible it would go with a certain redhead. A few scenarios came to mind:

She’d think he was stalking her, he’d make a cheesy joke about it being fate, she’d ignore him for the rest of the evening.

Or, they’d get over the awkwardness, talk to each other, Gilbert would say something stupid, she’d ignore him for the rest of the evening.

It wasn’t too late to just ditch and blame it on homework. But Jerry had frantically texted him multiple times asking for him. He couldn’t let Jerry down, even though he had no idea how he would fit into the equation. So as a good friend, he walked up the stairs and hastily knocked on the door.

The door immediately swung open, and a blonde woman with a sinister demeanor smirked at him. “About time. I’ve been watching you walk around for nearly 10 minutes.”

Gilbert flushed, “I-“

She rolled her eyes and waved it off, not caring, and opened the door wider for him to enter. “Put your coat in the closet and take your shoes off.”

Gilbert did as told, a bit frightened at this girl’s sternness. He recognized her as Josie Pye from around campus and heard enough about her to wonder how she was possibly friends with Anne.

The blonde eyed him as he slid his shoes off. Gilbert forced himself not to gulp as she narrowed her eyes before letting out a satisfied ‘hmph’.

“I guess Anne was right,” she mumbled more to herself. “You are kinda hot.”

He opened his mouth but immediately closed it. A blush overtook him as he tried to think of what to say in response. Satisfaction snuck up on him when he realized she said those words came from Anne.  _ Anne. _

Right when that crossed his mind, the universe granted him a gift, as Anne stumbled from out of a room to walk towards him, her smile slowly falling as she realized he was there.

“Oh,” Anne said in surprise, not necessarily harshly. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Gilbert breathed out. 

“Are you…” she trailed off before snapping her fingers, like something was dawning on her. “ _ That’s  _ how I recognize these guys! They were there with you when you pulled on my hair.”

Anne didn’t bring up the incident with any inkling of anger, but he feared if he pushed it too far, something bad would seethe out from her.

Josie looked bored as she watched the two before rolling her eyes and stalking back to where Anne came from. She snapped her head to the retreating blonde and muttered something that sounded close to her name, but she didn’t turn around.

Anne twirled her head back to Gilbert’s, her long red hair and black skirt twirling in time with her. The sight of her nearly made him faint. She was wearing a knitted, white crop-top sweater, and that paired with her high-waisted black skirt and knee-high black socks made Gilbert wonder if a growing crush could be a symptom of a heart attack.

Anne must’ve noticed him gaping because she awkwardly cleared her throat, snapping his gaze back to hers.

“Well if I had known you were coming I would’ve waited for you,” Anne suggested meekly.

Gilbert opened his mouth before shutting it. He took in her attempt at friendly conversation. She had a similar but not exact tone when she talked to her friends on the phone.

“To be fair, I wasn’t even sure I was going to come until an hour ago or so,” he shrugged.

Anne nodded once. She balanced on one foot as they stood awkwardly in the hallway with each other. Gilbert gave a reassuring smile, not exactly sure how to start this. His previous attempts at conversation hadn’t exactly gone well so now he was hoping Anne would be the one to break the ice.

“So, you’re here for movie night?” She asked. “We’re still trying to decide on what to watch, so if you think you’re going to get popcorn anytime soon, you’re wrong.”

“It’s a good thing I try and save my popcorn throughout the movie,” he joked.

Anne scrunched her nose, and Gilbert wondered if she knew how adorable that was to him. “You’re  _ that  _ person?”

“Oh, don’t tell me you eat it all during the trailers.”

“Of course I do! The premieres are just as entertaining as the movie themselves. Hell, maybe even more,” she argued. “Plus, there’s free refills anyways.”

“But why skip parts of the movie you pay to go see to refill a snack that you can just ration?”

Anne furrowed her eyebrows, her eyes narrowing like her gaze could kill him. Gilbert kept his amused expression, not really having trouble remembering that she was the cutest when aggravated.

“You have a point, I’ll give you that,” Anne nodded thoughtfully. “But unfortunately, neither of us will be able prove each other wrong since  _ somebody _ forgot to buy the popcorn!” Anne exclaimed a little louder and directed her voice to the room she came from. Gilbert snorted when he heard an annoyed groan from the room.

“No popcorn?” Gilbert asked and Anne shook her head. “Well that just won’t do,” he shook his head and Anne giggled.

“I know! You can’t have a movie night without popcorn.”

“It’s unheard of.”

“Indeed it is.”

They gazed at each other, their stares becoming electrifying as the faint noise of arguing from deeper inside the house flew away. Gilbert suddenly became more aware of just how magnifying this Anne-girl was. Her beautiful, intelligent aura drew him in, leaving him wondering if he was either too far in to leave or if he allowed himself to get hooked.

Shaking his thoughts, he cleared his throat and that seemingly snapped them both out of their gaze. “So, you said you haven’t decided on a movie yet? What are the options?”

Anne swallowed dryly before clearing her throat. “Well, your friends are rather insistent on a horror movie for some reason. Half of the girls want to watch a rom-com while the other half wants a Disney movie, so it’s an even three-way tie. But I have a slight suspicion that if my friend Ruby asked your friend Moody to, he’d switch to her side in a heartbeat.” When she finished, her eyes widened slightly before glancing down at the ground with a flush on her face.

“And if I know my friends well enough, I assume they wanted to wait to see if I’d join and agree with them?”

“They might’ve mentioned that,” she shrugged and glanced up at him.

Gilbert took his lips between his teeth to keep the corners of his lips from pulling up. “What side are you on?”

Anne’s face grew even pinker, accenting the freckles on her face beautifully. “The Disney princess side.”

He nodded once, “Well, now we know what we’re watching tonight.”

Anne’s face beamed and glowed- quite literally. Her grin overtook her face and her dimples appeared on her cheeks as her eyes lit up. Without a second thought, she ran back into the room she came from and exclaimed, “It’s decided! Four for Disney! We’re watching  _ Tangled _ !”

A mixture of groans and excited squeals erupted, making Gilbert’s eyes shoot up in surprise. Anne turned back to him, adrenaline running through her. She walked toward him until they were mere inches apart, craning her neck up to look up at him as he bent his neck down. She stuck a hand out, and Gilbert glanced up with her with a cocked eyebrow.

“I assume now that we’ve had one civil conversation, this is the start of a friendship?” She inquired with a single quirked eyebrow.

Gilbert smirked, “Yes, a friendship, not a business transaction.”

Anne rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the faint pink on her cheeks. She thrusted her hand back to him. “Truce?”

Gilbert eyed her hand again before shaking it. “Truce.” He wanted to pretend their hand size difference didn’t affect him, nor did the sensation of their skin touching provoke his mind to such inappropriate thoughts. Anne’s eyes glazed as she squeezed his hand. Whether by accident or on purpose, he didn’t know, and they continued shaking each other’s hand until the sounds of voices grew louder.

Anne immediately snapped her gaze and hand away, turning quickly around to the group of people and ignoring Gilbert’s predicament. Diana and Jerry walked out together arm in arm, erupting in laughter until Anne pulled Diana away.

Jerry glanced up at Gilbert and grinned before walking over and drawing him in for a hug. “You’re here! I was almost scared you wouldn’t show up.”

Gilbert blinked at his friend, forcing a small smile on his face. He nodded his head towards Diana. “I’m guessing you don’t need me anymore?” 

Gilbert wanted to tease his friend for the blush on his face, but he knew it would’ve disrupted the happiness he probably felt. So he just grinned, patting his shoulder in congratulations.

“You don’t have to stay, you know,” Jerry shrugged. “I know you’re busy and I don’t need your help anymore. So if you want I can just tell the girls you only wanted to stop by.”

The offer was tempting. But then his eyes trailed over to the flash of red hair in the living room, situated under a thick blanket, swatting hands away from her bowl of gummy worms. She looked up at him, giving a small smile.

Gilbert kept his eyes on Anne before shaking his head back at Jerry. “No no, it’s okay. I’ll stay.” Jerry quirked an eyebrow, silently asking if he was sure and Gilbert shrugged. “Why not? My dorm’s boring compared to this.”

~•~•~

Almost an hour and a half later, the previously vibrant energy of the room from sing-alongs and laughter quieted down as they watched the movie in silence. Occasional munching of snacks would briefly take Gilbert’s attention away from the movie, but it was the small noises coming from his right that distracted him.

There were two spots available when Gilbert came to sit: one next to Anne on the couch and one next to Diana and Jerry. When he saw Charlie lick his lips at the sight of Anne and stare at her, Gilbert quickly jumped in the spot, causing her to be squished between him and the armchair. If she minded, though, she didn’t say anything, and offered a section of her blanket. Gilbert didn’t say anything about how the section barely covered him, intent on giving Anne all the blanket and comfort she wanted.

He quickly learned he had the best spot. He could hear every small giggle that she tried to hide from behind the blanket, he had first row seats to her singing, and he could even bask in the warmth radiating from her body. 

He hardly noticed the movie even ended until the perky blonde- Ruby, he learned- started clapping maniacally.

“And  _ that’s  _ why  _ Tangled  _ is the best Disney princess movie,” she announced, immediately being met with protests from the others.

Gilbert chuckled at the sight. But it died down when he felt something fall on his shoulder. He carefully glanced over, his heart thumping when he saw Anne had fallen asleep on his shoulder. The lights were still off but he nearly laughed at how she could fall asleep while a group of people were screaming and arguing in the same room. 

He glanced down at her again, nothing how soft she looked in this state.  _ She’s beautiful _ , he thought. Without a second thought, he wrapped his arm around her shoulder and she immediately dug into his side. 

Gilbert thought if his heart beat any longer she would have woken up. It was silly to think he wanted his own body to stop functioning just so she could get a peaceful sleep. Nobody else seemed to notice, too wrapped up in whatever they were doing, but Gilbert didn’t think this was right. It felt too intrusive, too domestic. She had only agreed to be his friend not a couple hours ago and here he was, hugging her closer to him as she slept.

So he did the rational thing. Cursing himself, he slowly nudged Anne awake.

“Anne?” He asked softly.

Her body stirred, scooting closer to his. Oh how he wanted to bask in this feeling forever.

“Anne?” Gilbert asked again.

Soon he saw her eyes blink again, groggy at the total five minutes of sleep she got. She blinked her eyes open before looking down, her eyebrows furrowing before he saw the realization click on her face and she looked up at him.

“Oh my god,” she said and quickly pulled off from him. “I’m  _ so  _ sorry.”

Gilbert shook his head, “No no, it’s fine. Really.”

Anne avoided his eye, seemingly horrified at herself. “I-I swear I thought I was holding a stuffed animal or something,” she said more to herself, but that didn’t stop Gilbert from biting his lips back in amusement.

“I’m so sorry,” Anne repeated.

Gilbert studied her face, realizing she truly did seem horrified at herself. He quickly shook his head, “Don't be. I mean it was worth it , it gave me an opportunity to eat some of your gummy worms.”

She gasped and quickly parted around for the bowl before putting it on her lap, glancing down to see there was no change in the amount before glaring back up at him. She grabbed a pillow, smacking him. “You liar!

Gilbert laughed, covering his head with his arms to keep the pillow from doing anything too impactful.

And as he and Anne walked back to their dorms and hovered a little too close when they stood in front of their respective rooms, Gilbert realized that any teasing he made to himself about liking her backfired. He could feel the sensation bubbling in him, waiting to topple over the pillar of this new friendship and take him over one by one.


	4. Chapter 4

“Gilbert! Hurry up! You’re a man! Just throw on a hoodie and _hurry_!”

Anne furiously knocked on her neighbor’s door again, ignoring the loud groans and side-eyes from other people on the floor walking by.

Ever since they bonded at the Blackmore house, Anne had assumed they were friends and forced him to trail along on everything like any normal friend would do. She thought it might’ve been annoying to him, but if it was, he hadn’t shown any slight indication. So she decided she’d continue dragging him everywhere and make him her new best friend until he would get sick of her. 

Which in this case, would probably be soon.

She saw a glimpse of Winifred, their R.A., walking towards her and cursed under her breath. She was going to strangle Gilbert for putting her through this.

“Anne, right?” Winifred asked once she approached, her British accent just emphasizing her beauty.

Anne gave a tentative smile and turned to face her. “Hi.”

Winifred smiled politely. She really was sweet, but everytime Anne looked or talked to her she would suddenly hate everything about herself. So when she saw the blonde was wearing a ponytail and the most fashionable clothes a rich college student can wear, Anne wondered how long it would take her to change. Her small pink sundress and single braid made her look like a hobo sneaking off on a train compared to her.

“Is everything alright?” She asked with a concerned furrow of her eyebrows. 

Anne forced a smile. “It’s fine. I’m just waiting for Gilbert here to _hurry up_.” She emphasized by screaming it against the door, pounding on it insistently.

“Anne, Anne!” Winifred said to get her attention. When she finally turned around, she sighed. “I hate to be _that_ type of R.A., but do you think you can quiet it down a bit? Some people are complaining about the noise.”

Anne slightly pouted at the thought that people were complaining about her but nodded. Winifred gave a big grin that showed off her perfectly white teeth before nodding once, patting Anne on the shoulder and walking- no, strutting- down the hallway. She watched Winifred as she walked down, suddenly willing to be the one on the other end of the annoying knocking from Gilbert as she changed her entire look.

They were only going to the mall to hang out and buy stuff after a stressful few weeks of college, but there was always an opportunity to look her best.

But then the door swung open and Anne snapped her head up to Gilbert. She was about to scold him for looking like he’d just rung out of bed- yet still managed to look good- but his slightly agape mouth as he saw her made her frown in confusion.

“What?” Anne asked, feeling self-conscious again. She sighed, “I know, I look like a homeless person outside malls. I was just about to change-“

“Don’t,” Gilbert shook his head and stuffed his hands in his hoodie pocket as he glanced up at her. “D-don’t. You look beautiful. Don't change.” 

Anne felt her brain pause as it tried to absorb the information before she blushed, almost sure the color matched the pink of her dress. “Okay.”

Suddenly she didn’t feel like changing at all. Not because of Gilbert, though. She was her own person and simply decided for herself. 

They hadn’t been friends for too long that it was normal for Gilbert to call her beautiful. But it wasn’t like she didn’t know. Their first conversation he admitted he thought she was pretty, but she was sure it was just a casual male observation. 

But now, she wasn’t so sure.

Before he could somehow analyze her thoughts and find out what she was thinking, she held her chin up and stuck her hand out. “For making me wait, you have to give me your credit card.” 

Gilbert guffawed, “I’m paying for your shopping trip?”

“Yes, because you made me wait here for 10 minutes and get chastised by our R.A. who I think hates me now,” she pouted, waving her hand again and whining, “Give it. Come on, I’ll pay you back.”

He leaned against the doorway, biting back a laugh. “You know I barely have any money, right?”

“And then after this you’ll have none at all. A small price to pay to keep me happy.” 

Anne was only teasing, but the way his face softened when she said that and how he handed over his wallet gave her suspicions that he may have taken it a different way.

Anne tightened her grip on the wallet, looking up at him with a malicious smirk. “I’m going to buy the most expensive things and there’s nothing you can do to stop me.”

“If you do that, I’ll have to ruin all those pretty dresses you’ll buy.” Anne narrowed his eyes and he chuckled. “Besides, I know a much more effective alternative.”

~•~•~

“ _Shoplifting_?” Anne hissed quietly, snapping her head around to make sure no one could see them as Gilbert stuffed a skirt she was hanging onto in his inside hoodie pocket. “Shoplifting is the more effective alternative?”

Gilbert shushed her. “Do you want me to get caught?”

“What’s wrong with you?” She smacked his arm, her face furious. 

Gilbert glanced behind them before wrapping his arm around her waist, making her squeal as he pushed her closer to his body so he could lean down and whisper, “Anne, just go with it,” he whispered huskily into her ear, making her skin shiver. “We’re not wasting all our limited money on clothing. Besides, I’ve done this a million times before. Corporations still get a ton of money, a couple 15 dollars less won’t kill them. No harm no foul.”

Anne wanted to snatch the skirt back from him and pay for it like a normal citizen, but when she realized she could feel the way his chest constricted against hers as he breathed in, and how she had to crane her head just to see him staring down at her with his lips parted and eyes wide, she couldn’t bring herself to do so. So she bit her bottom lip and reluctantly sighed. “Fine. But only this one,” she muttered in defeat. When she glanced back up at him, she swore his face was getting closer and his grip on her tightened.

She suddenly found herself pushing away from him, smoothing her dress down and taking steps back as they tried to snap themselves back to reality. 

She looked back up to see Gilbert rubbing his clenched jaw with his hand, smiling innocently at nearby customers. “So, uh, anything else?” He cleared his throat.

Anne glanced around, sighing to herself as she scanned for something she’d love. Then her eyes landed on a short pencil skirt hanging on a rack decorated with buttons. Then her eyes flipped to a cream, posh looking blouse with a red ribbon at the neck. Her mind immediately went to Winifred, thinking that that was what she would wear to unintentionally attract the attention of everyone in the room. _Those_ were the clothes she needed to feel good about herself.

She immediately hurried over to the skirt, mindlessly snatching it before another woman could, and took it off the rack to show Gilbert. “What do you think?”

“I thought you already bought a skirt.”

Anne rolled her eyes, “Yeah, but having another wouldn’t kill me.”

“It’d kill my wallet.”

“I thought we were…” She trailed off, gesturing with her hands.

“Well we have to pay for something, it’d look too suspicious,” Gilbert scoffed. “The life of a criminal 101.”

She snorted and examined the skirt again. Her fingers traced the edge and a frown slowly encompassed her face. It was a beautiful skirt, but the fabric was too stiff and Anne couldn’t imagine herself wearing it and feeling comfortable with herself. But then she remembered how dingy her clothes were compared to this, how she would feel like a joke if she saw someone as beautiful as Winifred wear this.

So she took it, putting it in the basket with a challenging glare. “We’re paying for this, like good people.”

He bit back a smirk and held his hands up as he parted for Anne to walk around him and take a few more items. By the time they got to the cashier she swore Gilbert was about to have a heart attack.

The cashier lady gave a polite smile before looking back from the screen. “That will be 62 dollars and 70 cents.”

Anne stood behind Gilbert and held her arms out, willing to sacrifice her life to catch the scarily tall man from falling on the ground out of shock. But to her own surprise, Gilbert took his wallet from Anne’s back pocket and handed over his card. He then glanced down at Anne, offering a sheepish shrug.

When they started walking out of the store, Gilbert quickly stuffed the skirt in one of the bags. Anne glanced around in fear, afraid that this small criminal act would ruin her life. Gilbert noticed her fidgeting and pulled her closer to him.

“Stop it,” he said through a gritted smile.

“We’re going to get caught,” she hissed.

“Not if you don’t stop acting like we’re stealing the Mona Lisa.”

“What we’re doing is just as bad!”

Anne braced herself as they walked out the door, afraid the security sensors would start buzzing out of control until she opened one eye, seeing Gilbert looking down at her with an amused expression as they stood in the open mall. 

Her head snapped around her before turning back to him with a gape. “How-“

Gilbert put a finger over his mouth. “A magician never reveals his secrets.”

She wanted to yell at him and run back in there to put the skirt back, but the relieved, short chuckle she let out surprised her just as much.

“That was-“

“Fun?”

“Immature and illegal.” Gilbert rolled his eyes. “But…” she bit back a smile until she couldn’t take it anymore and grinned. “That was so fun!”

“I know!” He chuckled as they began walking. “And to think, I could’ve been at least 50 dollars less poorer if you just believed in me.”

Despite his teasing tone, Anne still frowned. “I’m sorry, I know it was a lot of money. I’ll pay you back soon. I just have to find my piggy bank.”

Gilbert snorted before his smile fell when he saw her face. “Wait you’re serious? You actually have a piggy bank?”

Anne nodded, “Why not?” Taking in Gilbert’s horrified expression, she rolled her eyes. “I have a savings account, dummy. I just have a piggy bank for spare money I find.”

“For some reason, I’m actually not surprised,” he chuckled more to himself.

“What does that mean?” 

“It’s nothing bad. It’s just…” He shrugged as they sat down in the food court. “It fits you, I guess.”

Now that they were in front of each other, Anne allowed herself to really take him in. Somehow he looked even better than he did not a couple hours ago. His hair was ruffled just enough to make it attractive, and the hazel of his eyes drew her in. Then her eyes fell to his chin, and she wondered if it was too weird to realize she may have a special sort of kink for chins. The only reassurance she had was that every part of Gilbert’s face was utterly attractive. 

She would’ve thought it was kinda weird examining and appreciating her newfound friend like this, then she remembered he has shamelessly been calling her ‘pretty’ since they met, so it wasn’t too bad.

Anne cleared her throat to bring herself back before quirking an eyebrow at him. “What do you mean ‘fits’ me?”

Gilbert leaned back in his chair, one arm loungin on the table and Anne fought herself to not examine each vein and inch of skin. “You just seem like the type of person to have a piggy bank. It’s cute.”

Anne blinked before biting her bottom lip, “I’m cute?”

He nodded, “Yeah. I mean, have you seen your room?”

“My room is perfectly fine!”

“I know! That’s what I’m saying,” Gilbert quickly explained. “It’s all dashes of color, piles of stuffed animals and pillows, strings of plants everywhere. It’s like you’re building a magical garden in a world with fairies.”

Anne never thought about it like that. She smiled happily at the comparison.

Gilbert pointed, “See? That’s what I mean. You’re cute, and your style reflects that. You wear all bright colors and cute dresses.” He rapped his fingers against the table and glanced down, like he was contemplating something. “Which is why I’m kinda confused why you bought all that stuff.”

Anne furrowed her eyebrows, crossing her arms on the table. “What are you talking about?”

Gilbert eyed her, biting the inside of his cheek before clearing his throat and starting, “I don’t know if you actually want my opinion on this- and you can stop me if you don’t.” He waited until Anne gave a small nod to continue. “But why’d you buy it? It’s ugly.”

Anne frowned, “It’s pretty.”

“Okay yeah, it’s pretty. But...I don’t know,” he shrugged. “I don’t think you’d enjoy wearing it.”

She scoffed, leaning back in her chair. “And why didn’t you say your opinion earlier?”

Gilbert looked into her eyes as he started, “I know that if I did, you’d be too stubborn to admit I’m right and would have bought it anyways. Now I’m not saying you’re never gonna wear it and it’s a waste of money, I just think if you did wear it you wouldn't be comfortable in it. You have your own unique style that’s like a second skin to you. And the shit you bought? It doesn’t show that.”

“So tell me, Alexander McQueen, what does it show?”

“You’re a ‘let’s sit in the meadow of flowers as the sun goes down and talk about our hopes and fears while we fall in love’ type, and those outfits scream ‘I have a business meeting at 10 at the fanciest hotel in Paris’.”

Anne narrowed her eyes, holding her chin up. “Maybe that’s what I wanted.”

Gilbert scoffed. He looked at Anne and she swore she could feel him staring into her soul. His eyes flickered from all over her back to her eyes before he said, “No it wasn’t,” in a low tone.

Anne opened her mouth to argue but Gilbert was already putting it back on the rack. She wanted to hate him for trying to convince her her thought process wasn't 100% in the right, but she really hated how he was slowly making sense. They hadn’t even been friends for that long, two to three weeks at the most. How was it possible for him to be able to read her so good? 

She glanced at her bags then back to him, letting out a small sigh of defeat before pouting. “So you let me waste your money on clothes you know I don’t even like?”

Gilbert shrugged, “At least tell me you liked the skirt I...borrowed.”

Anne nodded, “Yeah, I-I actually really loved it,” she admitted softly. She bit her bottom lip and glanced up at Gilbert before slapping the table and standing up. She picked the bags up before gesturing with her head for Gilbert to stand up. 

Gilbert reluctantly did so. “What are you doing?”

“We are going to return this and get your money back,” Anne stated.

Gilbert furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, gripping her wrist to make her turn to him. “You don’t want to keep it?”

She shook her head, “You’re right. As cheesy and disgusting as it sounds, these clothes aren’t me. I don’t want to be somebody that I’m not.” Her mind drifted to Winifred, imagining her professional outfits. She shook her head at herself. _I can appreciate someone’s beauty without trying to change myself to be like that. Besides, at least somebody likes me for me._

His face softened as he looked down at her. His eyes flickered to her wrist before awkwardly letting go and stuffing it in his hoodie pocket. Then, he gave a small smile, “You think they’ll take it?”

Anne shrugged, “Why not? There’s nothing about how long you have to wait until you can return something.” Her face then lit up and she sorted through the bag until she found the skirt Gilbert took, tossing it back at him. “Keep it somewhere.”

Gilbert smirked to himself, no doubt about to say an innuendo, as Anne turned on her heels. She was determined as a new, temporary sense of confidence washed over her. She‘d have to make it count.

Anne entered the store, heading straight for the cashier. “Hi, I’d like to return these.”

The cashier lady blinked up at the two. “Already?”

Anne nodded insistently, “Yes please.”

Luckily, the lady didn’t seem to really care. She simply nodded before taking the bag and the receipt. Anne bit her bottom lip to keep a victorious grin from emerging, but the glint in her eyes gave her away. She twirled on her feet to hold her hand out for a high-five.

Gilbert snorted at her and did so. She tried ignoring the implications of his hands being nearly double the size of hers, and then the electrifying sensation of their skin on skin contact. She pulled away, fighting back the blush before turning back around, facing the cashier lady.

“What’s your store’s exchange policy?”

~•~•~

“I can't believe I’m going home tonight poor and you’re going home a criminal,” Gilbert chuckled as they sat on the edge of the mall’s fountain.

Anne rolled her eyes playfully as she sorted through the items in her bag. When she returned everything, she took advantage of the store’s exchange policy to buy every item she loved. She only made Gilbert stuff a few small things in his hoodie and spent just a tiny extra 100 dollars more of Gilbert’s money on the rest.

She promises she’ll pay him back. If she ever remembers.

The coolness of the fountain made Anne shiver. She didn’t even notice. But Gilbert still took his hoodie off and handed it to her.

She eyed the hoodie then pushed it back to him. “It’s fine. Thank you.”

He handed it back. “Take it. I saw you shiver.”

Anne frowned, “I don’t need it. It’s not that cold.”

“Anne, come on. There’s no way you’re not at least a little chilly.” Gilbert eyed her up and down as an emphasis. Her body heated up at the action and she quickly diverted her eyes from him.

Anne scrunched her nose, slowly taking the hoodie from his grasp and putting it on. It engulfed her embarrassingly. She could barely use her hands to roll up the sleeves because it was too long. And she was scared of standing up and seeing it fall down to her feet, making her look like she was wearing a onesie.

Gilbert saw her and nearly fell backwards in laughter. Anne smacked him. “Hey, at least you got a hoodie for free.”

Anne huffed, scrunching her nose, “I’m not keeping this.”

He eyed her before giving a small shrug. “If you want to you can. I have too many hoodies anyways. Plus, you can’t tell me it’s not comfortable.”

It was comfortable. So comfortable. She felt like she was wearing a blanket and could just wrap herself in it forever. 

She mumbled quietly and by her expression alone Gilbert could tell he had won. She didn’t mind, it’s the least she could’ve done after wasting his money and time today. But are good neighbor relations without any sacrifice?

Anne glanced up at him, “So, you’re a junior too, right? Why do you live in a dorm?”

Gilbert’s gaze flickered to hers, obviously not expecting that question. He pondered a big before tugging his lips between his teeth and shrugging.

“Why are you?”

“It’s too much of a cost burden,” she answered simply.

Gilbert snorted, “Says the woman who has over 200 dollars worth of stuff in those bags right now.”

“Hey!” She pouted. “That’s mean, you can’t do that.” Gilbert chuckled, making Anne stifle a giggle as well. “But I’ll give you that. I just didn’t want to put any extra cost burden on my family with rent for living with the girls. I know with six of us it wouldn’t have been too bad, but I’m too drowned in my studies and internship that I don’t have time for a job. So I always come up short and I know I’d have one of the girls covering my as,” Anne shrugged, averting her eyes to her swinging feet to avoid Gilbert’s stare.

“Oh. I thought Jerry mentioned something about how you’re here on a scholarship? Doesn’t that cover housing?”

Anne shook her head, “No. Only on campus. So I took advantage of that. But, I decided to try something new this year and go co-ed. I just wanted that experience, you know? And that’s how we got here.” Anne giggled and poked Gilbert’s arm. “Now your turn, since I asked you first anyways.”

Gilbert slouched in his spot, kicking invisible dust on the floor. “I’m not too tight on money, no matter how hard I tried to get you to believe it. So I could’ve shared an apartment with one of the guys but I just got so busy I forgot to apply for one. Kinda boring.”

Anne snorted, “Can you apply for next semester?”

“Maybe, I think. But I probably won’t,” Gilbert shrugged nonchalantly.

“Why not? Don’t tell me you actually like these dorms.”

He laughed and shook his head, “I don’t know, they’re not too bad.”

Anne scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at him. “Really? How?”

Gilbert gave a lopsided grin and shrugged, “I have a pretty neighbor.”

Anne bit her bottom lip and playfully pushed him, both of them exclaiming hand Gilbert nearly fell back into the fountain. They grasped onto each other to try and situate him back on, bursting out laughing. 

“You’re gonna pay for that,” he teased, nearly pushing her over.

“No, no! I plead!” Anne grasped tighter to Gilbert, wrapping her arms around him. “If I go, you go down with me!”

Gilbert laughed, absentmindedly putting his arm around Anne’s body, freezing when he realized what he’d done. Anne’s breath hitched.

“Uh, sorry-“ He started, trying to push off.

Anne brought him back, loosening her arms a bit but still hanging out. “You can stay, if you want. You give good hugs.” She smiled softly, digging her head back under his arm.

Gilbert hesitantly put his arm back around her, squeezing her closer to mimic earlier. His body relaxed unders hers, and they sat in comfortable silence as they lost track of time, the movements in the mall becoming a blur the longer they basked in each other’s embrace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is mostly a self-indulgence piece and has absolutely zero plot or substance but do I regret it? Not at all.


	5. Chapter 5

Gilbert threw down a brown paper bag in front of the desk, jolting the redhead out of her notebook to look up at him.

“What’s this?” Gilbert watched her eye between the heavy bag sitting in front of her and him. His face flushed when he realized how close he was and moved around the table to sit across from her.

“You’ve been here since 10 a.m. and you haven’t eaten,” he shrugged, sliding the bag closer to her. “Eat.”

Anne eyed the bag before frowning, “I’m not hungry.”

“Anne,” Gilbert said pointedly. “When was the last time you ate?”

She opened her mouth to answer before leaving it agape, rolling her eyes to the top of her head as she tried to think before grimacing. “I ate before I left,” she murmured.

“You are a horrible liar. Please never pursue a career in acting.” Anne hit his knee with her pencil. “Eat,” he said again.

“I’m studying-“

“You’ve been studying way too much and eating way too little. It’s concerning, Anne,” Gilbert said the last part quietly, his eyes grazing over her face.

Anne frowned again, “Gil I’m not...There’s nothing to worry about. It’s just when I’m deep in work I forget to eat, nothing else.”

He nodded once, leaning forward on his elbows. “I know. You didn’t even notice that I was gone for half an hour to get you this.”

She blushed, the adorable pink greeting his face making her cuter than a baby kitten and making him smirk.

“But you still need to eat. I don’t want to see you starve yourself, even if you don’t mean to.”

“Gilbert I’m  _ fine _ .”

He quirked an eyebrow, daring her to challenge him in a stare down that made Anne narrow her eyes. The longer they stared, the more Anne’s face began to falter until she sighed in defeat, tentatively reaching over to the bag. She pulled out a sandwich and made a show of it in his face before taking a bite and putting it down on the napkin.

Gilbert eyed her. Anne rolled her eyes, “What?”

“You bite like a squirrel,” he chuckled.

She shot him a glare before picking her pencil back up and going back to her notebook. Gilbert bit his bottom lip as he turned around. But his eyes still flickered up to her. 

It was getting chiller now with fall and gone were the short dresses exposing those milky legs. But the new outfits still did her justice. She was wearing an off-the-shoulder oversized brown sweater tucked into a short black skirt, with transparent black tights and a pair of cream colored flats. To top it off, her beautiful red tresses were done in a single braid to the front, free strands framing her face. Her feet swayed under the table as she read her textbook, her eyes flickering over to her notes. 

Even if he wanted to, he didn’t think he’d be able to study. She was too alluring, too addictive. It was like no matter what Gilbert did, Anne would be the forefront of his mind. When she’s in front of him, he can’t look away. When they’re with their friends and she’s on the other side of the room, he can’t look away. When she’s lounging on his bed talking about anything and everything thinking he doesn’t pay attention, he can’t look away. He thought after months of knowing each other he’d be over her beauty, but it was like everytime he looked at her, his heart would pulse rapidly, his skin would flush pink, and he knew his pupils would dilate. 

Gilbert really didn’t think he was being subtle about any of this. He calls her pretty almost everyday and all she does is blush and go back to what she does like it never happened. It may have been a subtle rejection, or maybe she was just obvious, which made her even more adorable.

A small groan escaped from the woman next to him. “I can’t do this. I’m dropping out. I’m dropping out right now.”

“No you’re not,” Gilbert replied.

She pouted, “This  _ sucks _ . Can I just go back to my room and take a nap? Maybe my mind will be rejuvenated after a nice two-hour nap.”

“You always say it’s two hours then you end up sleeping until midnight.”

“I don’t see a problem with that, Gil.”

“Because then tomorrow you’re gonna cram yourself the entire day and the cycle continues again and again until you’re spent out.”

“I am simply going to take advantage of my limited time as a college student and catch up on my eight hours of sleep.”

Gilbert smirked, “You know it’s supposed to be eight hours of sleep a  _ day _ ? Not in a lifetime.” Anne waved him off. He eyed her before sighing, “Anne, how many hours of sleep do you get?”

She bit her bottom lip, glancing up as she mentally counted before shrugging. “That’s irrelevant.”

“ _ Anne _ .”

“Oh come on! I have a bunch of exams next week, I can’t afford to sleep!”

“Or eat either.”

Anne rolled her eyes, “What are you, my brother?”

_ Please never compare me like that again or I think I may burn this building down. _

He held his hands up in defense, “All I’m saying is that you’ve got to take care of yourself, Anne. I’d be a terrible friend if I didn’t make my concerns heard. Hell, I’m studying to be a doctor and I get more sleep than you.”

Anne scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. “That’s because you barely study. Look at you now- you’ve barely gone through two pages since we got here.”

“So you’ve been keeping track of me?” He teased with a mischievous grin.

“So have  _ you _ .”

“I do it for your own good, you’ve been keeping track of me for your own free will.”

Anne opened her mouth to retort until she closed it again. She did it again, determined to refute until she huffed and sat up straight, her chin high in the air to avoid him.

“Oh come on, now you’re giving me the silent treatment?” He poked her in the arm and she swatted his hand away.

“I need to study,” Anne said pointedly.

Gilbert shook his head, chuckling to himself. He pointed over at the bag, “Eat it, don’t waste my money. But be subtle so we don’t get kicked out. The librarians still hate me for a book I never returned last year.”

Anne rolled her eyes again and took a large bite of the sandwich. She feigned a smile as she chewed and swallowed. Gilbert nodded in content and moved back to his work. 

They sat in relative silence for a while until a small cough in the silent building caught Gilbert’s attention. He glanced up to see a man leaning against a bookshelf, pretending to scour for books but really glancing over at Anne. Gilbert furrowed his eyebrows. His eyes flickered to an oblivious Anne, who was biting her bottom lip in concentration and making Gilbert groan internally.

Then he looked back up at the guy whose head snapped to a random when he saw Gilbert look up. He let out a small chuckle and shook his head, making Anne slowly look up at him.

“What’s so funny?” She asked.

He waved it off, “Nothing, nothing.”

Anne frowned but didn’t push it, sighing and going back to her textbook. Not a beat later Gilbert glanced up to see the guy pause momentarily before walking determinedly towards their table.

Gilbert’s heart sped up the closer he got, and he was almost a hundred percent sure he wasn’t the person that was about to get asked out by this guy.

Gilbert almost jolted out of his seat at the sudden scrap of the chair next to Anne as the guy sat down. Anne, however, did jump and braced a hand over her chest and exhaled.

The guy winced, “I should’ve done that more smoothly.”

Anne scoffed, “Obviously. I think the entire library heard it.”

He shrugged, “I don’t care about that. All I care about is getting your name.”

Gilbert let out a low whistle, conflicted between praising this guy or snatching the chair out from under him so he’d fall on his butt.

If he didn’t know any better, Gilbert would say Anne was blushing. “I’m Anne.”

“How do you spell that?”

“Why would you need to spell it?” Anne giggled airily.

“So I can save your phone number that you’re about to give me.”

“Damn,” Gilbert muttered under his breath, a little impressed. He wondered if it would seem too sarcastic if he took notes.

Now Anne was  _ definitely  _ blushing. Her blush was always cute, but he hated it in this particular moment because for once, it wasn’t directed at him.

“Well that’s a bit forward, I don’t even know how I’ll save your number when you give me yours.” Anne leaned forward.

A pit was growing in Gilbert’s stomach. He was sure Anne wouldn’t give this man her time of day, and he was shocked she was playing along. He didn’t know if it was just surprise or pure jealousy boiling inside of him for this.

The guy hadn’t even looked over at Gilbert once. Neither had Anne since he sat down. It was like he was invisible to their little bubble, and he didn’t like it. He wanted to be the one Anne blushed at, the one she gracefully flirted with, the one who had her sole, undivided attention.

The dude’s lips quirked into a smile. “I’m Royal Gardner. But just call me Roy, please.”

Anne grinned, “Why just Roy? Royal’s a beautiful name.”

It panged Gilbert’s heart a bit as he recalled Anne giggling at his name when they met. He wasn’t insecure about it, but it just amplified his hatred for the starking contrasts between  _ their  _ first interactions versus this one. 

_ Roy  _ shrugged, “It rolls off the tongue better. And you? Is your name shortened for anything?”

Anne shook her head, “Nope, just plain old Anne.”

“Don’t say that. It’s a pretty name for a pretty girl.”

Gilbert felt he was going to vomit from sheer bitterment, jealousy, and second-hand embarrassment.

But Anne could only blush. “It’s with an ‘e’ at the end, you know, for your phone.”

Roy winked before pulling his phone out, typing before sliding it over to Anne. She unsuccessfully tried biting back a smile as she punched her number in before sliding it back. Roy took the phone and snickered.

“‘It’s Royal’ with a smiley face. Well, I guess you’re going to be the first person to call me Royal since I was a baby,” he teased.

Anne shrugged. She replied but Gilbert couldn’t bring himself to listen in anymore. Not that it was even eavesdropping since they were seated directly across from them. They were talking way beyond a whisper, too. Where were the librarians to persecute them for being so loud when he needed them the most?

He tried focusing on his textbook. The words blurred together in his brain until he could only focus on three specific letters, his mind jumbling them until they formed “ANNE” over and over again. Everytime she or Royal laughed, he’d dig himself deeper into the pages. 

By the time he glanced up to see Royal was finally getting up, Gilbert blinked in shock when he saw he managed to finish the chapter. He shut the book closed as Royal departed, Anne staring back at him.

Gilbert rubbed his hand over his face before slowly clearing his throat. Anne looked over at him, her face slightly flushed.

“That was interesting,” Gilbert muttered, praying it came off as nonchalant.

Anne bit her bottom lip to suppress a smile before shrugging, “Yeah, it was whatever.”

An obvious lie, again. It pained him that he could tell she enjoyed it, enjoyed  _ him _ . He would even say he was witnessing a crush forming, and the pit in his gut pulsed.

They didn’t say anything, trying to study in silence until the library closed. His brain was scattered with feelings of ache and pain, while he was sure hers was filled with glee and happiness, which just made him feel  _ more  _ painful. 

They walked back to their dorms in silence too. Gilbert hated it. He wanted to say something to break the ice but couldn’t think of anything to say. Everytime he looked at Anne, she didn’t even seem to notice his internal predicament. She looked lost in her own daydream, a small smile plastered on her face from the earlier events.

When they finally reached their dorms, Gilbert quickly opened the door to his own room before Anne could say anything. He felt terrible for shutting the door in her face and quickly opened it back up to see her crestfallen expression light back up when they made eye contact.

“Sorry,” Gilbert visibly winced. 

Anne shook her head, “No it’s fine. I’m tired too. I just wanted to say goodnight. And thank you for the food today. I’m going to be rationing it for the next week.”

“Anne.”

“Gil, I can’t waste time and money on food all the time, it’s better to just save,” Anne quickly protested.

“Well then I’ll just have to spend my time and money getting food for you,” Gilbert replied cheekily.

She gave him a knowing look, “You can’t do that.”

“And you can’t keep starving yourself and getting 30 minutes of sleep everyday.”

Anne pouted, her fingers fiddling and making her look so adorable. Gilbert had no idea how he hadn’t walked over and burrowed her in a big hug yet. 

“Fine,” she sighed. “ _ Dr. Blythe _ , I’m going to try to listen to you. Emphasis on try.”

A smile spread across his face and he nodded, “I’m glad.”

Anne smiled adorably, “Goodnight, Gil.”

“Goodnight, Anne.”

He didn’t want to bring up Royal, and she didn’t give him the opportunity to before she disappeared into her room. Soon after he closed the door too. 

It was weird, talking to Anne made him forget about  _ Royal  _ and all that happened. But when he stopped, it all came flooding back. It was scary. It was like when he was with her, he could only focus on her and every single negative piece of emotion drained away. And when she was gone, he was left with a void.

This feeling was weird, and he wasn’t sure if he liked it or not. But all he knew was that he wanted to run his head through the wall, because he just  _ knew  _ Anne didn’t feel the same and he was alone in this predicament. He would have to suffer in silence and alone.

He hated this. He hated it so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you believe me now when I said this has no plot at all? Either way I’m sorry this took me a bit to upload! I’ve just been so busy lately but I plan on updating more soon!


End file.
